One sunny, beautiful day in the spring of 2002 Randy Lewis, Ken, Jerry Ann,
a friend, and I consolidated our efforts in locating a mine.
We had bumped into each other quite by chance that day on Mosby Mountain and
decided we had a golden opportunity before us. Our
friend wasn't able to hike but was eager to share some information with us.
We drove to a pretty meadow hopped out and anxiously awaited
our instructions. He showed us which hill to hike and what to anticipate when
we reached a cliff. We hiked up the hill and located the cave in
the cliff just as he had described it. As we crawled inside we had to wonder
if this were natural or manmade because of its size and shape. At
the far end we found the sighting hole as it had been described to us. We
looked out, took our bearings, and did our best to memorize the site.
It wasn't hard because there was a large dead pine tree clearly visible through
the hole. We now knew exactly where we were going and the
anticipation ran high. Quickly we exited the cave, slid down the hill, and
headed across the canyon toward our memorized landmark. We
found the dead tree and only a short distance from it we found the mine our
friend had been looking for. Originally it had been a vertical shaft,
but now it was only a large depression in the ground. If only we knew it were
worth the effort to reopen then we would file a mining claim and
dig on it. Maybe we will hold off until we know more about it. However, if
the Spanish miners went to that much work to mark this mine, then
it stands to reason it must be worth excavating.
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Randy Lewis in front of the cave where the sighting hole is located.
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This photo was taken looking out the sighting hole.
Notice the large dead pine tree a little left of the center of the hole.
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Here is the caved-in mine shaft.